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Palmerston 81's
The Palmerston 81's are a senior hockey team based out of Palmerston, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League.Palmerston won the WOAA Grand Championship in the 1957-58 season. The current Palmerston 81's have three WOAA Sr. "A" Championships, in 1998-99, 2005-06, and 2007-08, and they have a WOAA Sr. "AA" Championship, in 2002-03 Palmerston, the defending Senior "A" Champions, had a very strong year, with a 17-7-0 record, good for fourth in the North Division. The 81's would face the South Division champions, the Clinton Radars in the "AA" quarter-finals. After falling behind by losing the first game of the series, Palmerston would win two in a row in overtime to take a 2-1 series lead. Clinton would come back and win two in a row to put Palmerston behind 3-2, however in the sixth game, the 81's staved off elimination with a convincing 5-2 victory, forcing a seventh game in Clinton. The 81's would fall behind the Radars 3-0 after the first period and could never recover, losing 6-2 and being eliminated from the playoffs. After starting the season off with a 7-2-1 record in their first 10 games, the 81's would slump, losing six of their next eight games, to sit with a 9-8-1 record, and push the team out of the "AA" playoff picture. Palmerston snapped out of their slump, and in their remaining eight games, they posted an impressive 7-0-1 record, and finish in fifth place in the North Division, and qualifying for the "A" playoffs. The 81's opening opponent in the quarter-finals was the Monkton Wildcats, and Monkton surprised Palmerston with a 4-3 OT victory in the series opener, followed by a 2-1 win in the second game to take a 2-0 series lead. The 81's fought back, winning games three and four to tie the series, but the Wildcats put Palmerston on the brink of elimination with a 4-0 victory in the fifth game to take a 3-2 series lead. The 81's would once again fight back, hanging on for a 4-3 win in the sixth game, sending the series to a seventh and deciding game. Palmerston would complete the comeback, defeating Monkton 5-4, and advance to the "A" semi-finals. Palmerston would face the defending "A" champions, the Durham Thundercats in the semi-finals, and the 81's would win a very wild opening game by a score of 9-7. Durham rebounded to tie the series up in the second game, however, Palmerston would dominate the Thundercats in the third game, winning 10-5, and taking a 2-1 series lead. Palmerston's offense stayed hot, defeating Durham 7-3 in the fourth game, and then defeating the Thundercats in the fifth game by a 7-4 score to win the series, advancing to the "A" finals. The 81's next opponent would be the Lucknow Lancers, and after dropping the series opener by a 5-4 score, Palmerston would win the next two games by scores of 6-4 and 7-1 to take a 2-1 series lead. Lucknow evened the series with a 7-5 victory in the fourth game, however, Palmerston once again took the series lead with a solid 7-3 win in the fifth game. The 81's would hang on for a 3-2 win in the sixth game, winning the "A" championship for the second time in three seasons. Palmerston would get off to a hot start to begin the regular season, winning their first seven games. The 81's would continue to play good hockey throughout the regular season, finishing off with a 14-4-2 record, earning 30 points, and fourth in the WOAA North Division. Palmerston opened the playoffs against the Durham Thundercats, with the winner advancing to the "AA" quarter-finals. The 81's opened the series with a 9-2 victory, followed by a 6-2 win the second game to take a 2-0 series lead. The third game would be determined in overtime, as the scored was tied 4-4 after three periods of play, and it would be Palmerston earning the victory to take the 3-0 series lead. The fourth game would once again be tied 4-4 after regulation time, and the 81's would earn the series sweep, by scoring in the extra period and advance to the "AA" quarter-finals. Palmerston will face the Saugeen Shores Winterhawks.